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Mark Schlabach
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Rory McIlroy, who has clinched the Players Championship twice, considers the PGA Tour’s premier event to be among the top tournaments globally — yet not the fifth major.
During a press conference Tuesday in anticipation of this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy was inquired about the Players’ ranking among the other majors (Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open) after achieving the career Grand Slam by securing a green jacket at the Masters last year.
«I would certainly enjoy having seven majors instead of five; that would be fantastic,» McIlroy remarked. «I believe the Players is one of the premier golf tournaments worldwide. I don’t believe anyone contests that or challenges it. From a player’s view, it’s incredible. For fans on-site, it’s fantastic. It’s an outstanding golf course, location, and venue.
«However, I’m a traditionalist and a student of the history of the game. We have four major championships. If you want to observe what five major championships resemble, look at the women’s game. I’m not sure how well that has turned out for them.»
J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff at last year’s Players. «I would say it has a stronger identity than the PGA Championship currently does. Thus, from an identity standpoint, the Players has it figured out. It is a remarkable tournament in its own right, and whether it’s designated as a major or not doesn’t alter its significance.»
Regarding the PGA Championship, McIlroy feels it should return to August as the concluding major, when it was known as «glory’s last shot» each year. It is presently held in May as the season’s second major.
The discussion about whether the Players should be recognized as the fifth major intensified in recent weeks following the PGA Tour’s release of a trailer before next month’s event that featured the slogan «March is going to be major.»
LIV Golf League captain Phil Mickelson, the 2007 Players Championship victor, objected, stating on his X account: «I’ve won it. It’s not.»
The Players has historically been regarded as one of the toughest tournaments to win due to its competitive field — world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the sole back-to-back champion, in 2023 and 2024, over the event’s 51-year history.
Mickelson argued on X that since LIV Golf stars such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm are ineligible to compete in the event, the PGA Tour can no longer maintain that assertion.
«I remain very proud to have claimed that tournament twice, as I’m sure all the other champions are,» McIlroy stated. «It stands on its own without the designation, I suppose.»
